Bazaarvoice socially connects marketers, consumers

Connecting with consumers in the online space is much more difficult than throwing up a social network shingle and waiting for them to arrive. Ask any marketer from a nationwide brand to a small town mom-and-pop and you'll get the same answer: social marketing is time intensive. A new suite of tools set up specifically for the social space may help.

This week Bazaarvoice launched its SocialConnect suite of tools which may help marketers keep a handle on brand within the social space. That, in turn, will give consumers a singular message rather than a lot of chatter. With SocialConnect marketers can ensure than their voice remain true to the brand promise whether in the social space, on a blog or on their branded website; the collects customer generated product reviews from social networks to integrate with the branded site.

Reviews, as many studies have shown, hold different power on the web. Although consumer review sites are important, many social consumers would rather 'hear from a friend' about a product than read an anonymous review. By pulling reviews and information directly from the social space, brands can give consumers that 'friend'ly touch.

Consumer-generated messages can be:

• Shouted via the various social platforms
• Published from a branded site to a consumer's social profile
• Liked - via Facebook
• Used in branded apps

As studies have shown, social platforms are at their best when used to enhance brand. So, rather than using social networks specifically as a sales-driver, marketers should use social networks to spread the word about products or services. Using actual consumer reviews or ratings is a good way to do this in the social space, and that should drive more consumers into the purchase funnel on the branded site.